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The Coronation of King Charles III. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired May 06, 2023 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST (voice-over): And welcome to London where we have a spectacular view of the city on this historic coronation day, counting down to an event that many of us will be seeing for the first time in our lives and will not soon forget.
Moments ago we saw King Charles III and Queen Camilla arriving in Buckingham Palace where they await the ceremony officially crowning the royal couple and honoring Britain's new monarch and his reign.
I'm Anderson Cooper, good morning outside the palace, where we expect to see Charles and Camilla again very soon, kicking off this remarkable celebration. Dignitaries, including first lady Jill Biden, have gathered at Westminster Abbey where the coronation will be taking place.
Charles taking center stage eight months after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and 70 years after she herself was crowned. Crowds gathered to get a glimpse of the king and queen as they make their way from here, Buckingham Palace, to Westminster Abbey in a gilded carriage, called the diamond jubilee state coach, pulled by six Windsor Grey horses.
The procession will depart the palace, accompanied by the most senior regiments of the British Army, which are gathering right here behind us now and head down the Royal Road known as the mall toward the Admiralty Arch.
The procession will round the bend near Trafalgar Square, continuing past the prime minister's residence and office at Number 10 Downing Street and down Whitehall to Parliament Square.
The carriage then making the turn to Westminster Abbey, where the king and queen will make their entrance. We expect to see members of the royal family arriving at Westminster just minutes from now, including Prince William and Princess Katherine, their son, Prince George, the second in line to the throne.
He will have a prominent role as a page of honor. We also expect to see Prince Harry arriving soon. This will be the first reunion with his family that we know of since his memoir was released.
His wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, chose to stay in California with their children as this extraordinary tribute to the British monarchy plays out. King Charles will be just the second British monarch to have his coronation televised.
The first, of course, was his mother back in 1953. You will see every moment this morning, all the pomp and pageantry and drama, right here live. Thanks so much for joining us. It is truly a remarkable day here in London.
In many ways, the city is grinding to a standstill, as all eyes and tens of thousands of people are descending on this part of London. I'm here with Max Foster and Christiane Amanpour.
What a day.
MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: Interesting just to see the faith leaders entering the abbey just as we were speaking, which is a reflection of how Charles is trying to be (INAUDIBLE) bringing in faith leaders for the very first time.
COOPER: Also the coach, which you got an up close look at.
FOSTER: There are several coaches involved today across the different guests. This, I believe, is the lord mayor's coach. This is the one that is out and about.
The key thing about today is that we are looking back on moments in history of past. What I was told is that Charles, when he started thinking about today's service with the Archbishop of Canterbury, went right back to King Edgar's coronation in Bath in 973.
COOPER: You covered that as well.
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COOPER: But it is that steeped in tradition, what we will see today.
FOSTER: Then you have faith leaders, so he has tried to modernize it as well. This is the diamond jubilee coach entering Buckingham Palace right now. This is the coach he will take to the abbey. A much smaller procession on the way to the abbey than the one we see on the way back, which will be absolutely enormous. This one is pretty modest.
COOPER: You were saying also that enters the procession on the way; there is some 200 members of the British military in the procession. But on the way back, several thousand, 4,000.
FOSTER: That will be the biggest military procession since the last coronation. And you'll see thousands more lining the routes as well. When we talk about pomp and pageantry and Britain doing it well, this is peak pomp and pageantry. I think what many people around the world tune into, away from the characters and the family themselves.
COOPER: Christiane, to be here with you today is so extraordinary and exciting.
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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Honestly, it is something incredible when you think that, even here at Westminster Abbey, it's a ceremony that goes back until 1066, that is 1,000 years. William the Conqueror was the first to be crowned in Westminster Abbey. It is extraordinary.
But I think we all have to say that, look, Prince Charles, now King Charles, is the longest ever serving Prince of Wales. He spent the longest time in waiting for this moment.
COOPER: And thinking about this moment.
AMANPOUR: And think about this. His own sister, the princess royal, said to the British, in an interview this week, you know what you are getting. He has practiced his entire life. He is 70 plus years old right now and he has dedicated his life to this moment.
And he says, for the remaining part of my life, I want to be of service. I think what's extraordinary, also, is that, given what we are talking about, he has a completely different relationship 1,000 years ago up until today between people and monarchy. They've had to really thread the needle here to try to make it relevant.
You keep hearing this word, relevance to the people today. Let's not forget that we are in an incredibly difficult time in history today in the United Kingdom. This, on one hand, gives a huge boost of patriotism, of connection, of community, of unity.
But there is so much the new king knows and they all know has to be done to really make this monarchy continue to be relevant. The multifaith part of it is one of the parts. The slimmed down part of it is one of the parts. It won't be as expensive and extensive as Queen Elizabeth's 70 years ago.
It won't be as long. It is extraordinary that it is multifaith. Charles himself said that I will no longer be called and I will not be called defender of the faith, because this was a Christian nation.
But in respect to the fact that it is a multicultural nation now, defender of the faiths. There is a beautiful little anecdote about the chief rabbi, who was invited by King Charles to spend the night at the palace nearby, St. James' Palace, so that he could walk, because it is Saturday.
It is Shabbat and, for Orthodox, they cannot use anything that is not self propelled.
COOPER: Bianca Nobilo, what is the scene at Westminster Abbey?
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BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, the calm, quiet and damp really belies the sense of anticipation and color and excitement that we are already seeing from inside Westminster Abbey.
And that, of course, is just because it has been so meticulously planned with rehearsals for many weeks now. We've already seen some dignitaries and VIPs enter into the abbey. First lady Jill Biden and her granddaughter, dressed in the colors of Ukraine, blue and yellow and sitting next to Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska. Again, just underscoring the international significance of an event like this.
We've also seen celebrities arriving, such as Katy Perry, who will be performing at the coronation concert tomorrow. Also some more controversial invitations, such as the vice president of China.
And over 90 heads of state, representatives from over 200 countries. It is really an unprecedented collection of individuals and underscores the power and diplomatic import of an event like this.
We are also hoping to see in the coming minutes the first arrivals of figures and heads of state and the U.K. prime minister, leading up to the arrival of the royal family and the king of the queen themselves. They will be coming up by the west door which is right behind me.
The pavement has been prepared for the arrival of those six horses and that will be coming up in just the next hour.
COOPER: Our viewers will be able to watch this from every angle. Also, we will also be narrating much of what you see but also remaining quiet through large parts of today because we want you to experience not just the sight but also the sounds of what it's like to be here, to hear what those who have taken part of the ceremony will be hearing as well. This has all been choreographed down to the second.
FOSTER: Every single detail, because they are trying to include the history of 1,000 years of coronations, trying to adapt it with modern guests. As you see the congregation, think back to Elizabeth's coronation. You had to be related to someone in order to be at that coronation.
This is a true reflection of British and Commonwealth society we are about to see the procession of Commonwealth realms going in. So this is not just the king of the United Kingdom. It's 14 other realms around the world.
COOPER: We are just minutes away from the spectacular procession. King Charles and Camilla depart just behind us and head to the coronation ceremony.
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COOPER: We'll bring you every moment live. Stay with us.
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COOPER: And welcome back to London for this once in a lifetime event. Take a look, King Charles and Queen Camilla already inside the diamond jubilee state coach, which will leave Buckingham Palace any minute for the procession to Westminster Abbey for the official coronation.
The last coronation ceremony, of course, 70 years ago in 1953, before many of us were even born. We want to highlight just a few of the remarkable historical artifacts you are going to see in today's ceremony.
That coronation spoon is the oldest item you will see during the coronation. It's from the 12th century, used during the anointing, the holiest part of the ceremony, along with the ampulla, shaped like an eagle with outspread wings, which holds the oil which was consecrated in Jerusalem in March.
The St. Edward's crown will be used to officially crown King Charles. It was made for the last King Charles back in 1661. It weighs nearly five pounds.
[05:15:00]
COOPER: It's made of solid gold, rubies, amethyst, sapphires and garnet. While he is being crowned, King Charles will sit on the coronation chair, which is one of the most famous pieces of furniture in the world, believed to have been crafted around year 1300.
It has been the center of coronations for more than 700 years. Under that chair, you will see the Stone of Scone, also known as the Stone of Destiny. It was used during coronation ceremonies of ancient Scottish kings until the British captured it in the year 1296.
The stone was eventually returned to Scotland; it is reunited with the chair for British coronations.
CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is outside Buckingham Palace.
A lot of people have been camped out there for certainly overnight, if not a day or more. What a spectacular scene they are about to witness.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is just a sea of people here, Anderson. We just heard that announcement over the loudspeaker, that the parade, the procession, is about to commence. There were cheers in this crowd that you can see behind me.
It is at least 10 rows deep. Some people were camping for days over here, coveting that important spot. If you just pan in from the other side, I want to give a sense of the security presence here as well. Police, soldiers standing by, ensuring that this goes smoothly.
One of the families I want to introduce you to is the Ellsworths (ph). If I can have you come in close. We have Grandma, Granddad and Lila (ph) here.
We'll start with you, Grandma.
Why come out, why wake up early, why be here today?
GRANDMA ELLSWORTH (PH), CORONATION ATTENDEE: To make precious memories for this one. ABDELAZIZ: What does this mean to you, to have your granddaughter
here, an international event.
What's in your heart and mind?
GRANDMA: Well, born British, she's British. It's a British royals thing so that's all there is.
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ABDELAZIZ: It is a big day, it's normal to be nervous.
Lila (ph), you woke up the middle the night. Are you excited to be here?
LILA (PH): Yes.
ABDELAZIZ: Are you going to be on Granddad's shoulders, what are you hoping to see?
LILA (PH): The carriage and the king.
ABDELAZIZ: The carriage and the king, what a big once-in-a-lifetime event. You have all of your flags here to go.
What is it that you are hoping that she will learn from the day?
GRANDMA: Pomp and ceremony is very important in British life, so that's all.
ABDELAZIZ: Thank you so much.
It's that pomp and ceremony. But as you know, Anderson, it's also about national identity and that's what you see on display here, that cultural moment that people want to share down the generations.
COOPER: We'll check in with you in just a little bit. We are seeing representatives from the Commonwealth countries coming in to Westminster Abbey. We've been seeing a procession of guests arriving over the last hour or more.
I'm here right outside of Buckingham Palace with Christiane Amanpour and Max Foster.
It's interesting, this diamond jubilee state coach is actually -- there you see the prime minister of Great Britain. We also saw the former prime ministers arriving just about a minute or two ago.
FOSTER: It shows how much our politics have changed.
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FOSTER: These are the Commonwealth (INAUDIBLE) coming in. So the governor general that represents the king in those countries as well as the prime minister. You saw Justin Trudeau there toward the front. This is very much a reflection of this being a global event. Arguably
the biggest gathering of heads of state we've ever seen. That's what's interesting to me.
one of We should point out that Jill Biden is here; President Biden is not. No American president has ever been at a coronation.
AMANPOUR: It's unusual; Eisenhower did not come to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. I think it's really interesting that there's been a little bit of a flap about why president Xi Jinping of China sent his very hardline vice president.
But this vice president has had talks with the British foreign secretary, obviously in a key tense moment between China and the democratic world. And there may be some attempt to try to bridge some of the vast gap of silence between United States and China right now. So that I think is really interesting.
We know also that the deputy leader of Sinn Fein, Michelle (ph) is here. And she is basically saying, look, I'm a proud Irish Republican and nationalist. But I also know that so many people in Northern Ireland honor this coronation. I'm here to represent everybody.
She should actually be running the Northern Ireland assembly if it was up and running right now. But it has been suspended. Rishi Sunak, who is obviously of Indian origin, will be reading from the St. Paul's letter to the Colossians. It's about Christ being the basic divine ruler of all peoples from all places.
This is clearly a sign and a message to the diversity of the British, no longer empire and they are very clear that it's no longer empire but a voluntary Commonwealth, where people actually kind of want to stay in it and want to join.
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AMANPOUR: It's totally voluntary.
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COOPER: -- the coach that has --
FOSTER: -- the crown equerry to signal the coach to move off. It's going to move through that central arch right now. This escort, this guard of honor --
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FOSTER: -- will do a royal salute. Absolutely everything to seconds. If it doesn't leave at exactly 20 minutes past, it's going to be chaos.
COOPER: That coach was made in Australia in 2014.
FOSTER: It's like a Ferrari.
COOPER: It's air conditioned and has electric windows.
FOSTER: Crucially it has hydraulic suspension. All the others swing around like washing machines. You feel sick in them, apparently.
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COOPER: And it's starting to move, the diamond jubilee state coach.
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COOPER: The procession is just about to begin. This really has been timed down to the second. CNN talked to one of the composers of a piece of music that is going to be played in Westminster Abbey. And he was told it had to be four minutes. I think he got it in at three minutes and 59 seconds with some reverb for five seconds.
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FOSTER: -- in the palace, they set up a replica abbey the king's been practicing with his crowns getting fitted to his head, everything. Even the tulips behind us, king's blood tulips.
AMANPOUR: Can I just point out at this point how incredibly rare it is to see a live coronation. First was Queen Elizabeth in 1953. But you know, it just wasn't done. As all this is coming out now, this is broadcast around the world.
FOSTER: -- as the front wheels go under the arch. So let's see if that works.
COOPER: So let's watch the procession, the diamond jubilee state coach just about to leave from Buckingham Palace. Let's listen in, you can hear military officers making commands to all those in attendance.
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COOPER: The carriages now moving in front of Buckingham Palace as the national anthem was just played and the procession is now getting underway.
FOSTER: This is a much smaller procession than the one that will be coming back but still pretty spectacular. It's meant to be more humble, Anderson, on the way to the crowning, being much more (INAUDIBLE) on the way back.
AMANPOUR: One can't help remember also that the last time we all sat here, the world press was glued on this royal event, was when the queen's funeral took place. And we turned around in the same way and we watched the tragic, for the people of this country after 70 years on the throne, her casket.
And now you've got the changing of the guard, the passing of history, the constance (ph).
FOSTER: A couple weighing robes of state, they'll be wearing different robes over the weekend back. We'll see them several changes coming through. They are about to go in front of the crowds, currently going past national health workers, social workers and veterans.
COOPER: And they are being cheered by those workers.
Kate Williams is also with us, historian.
What a day for a historian, Kate.
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KATE WILLIAMS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): (INAUDIBLE). The last time we saw this was in 1953 and now here we are watching this again. It's incredible to see that state coach with Charles in his robes of state. And (INAUDIBLE). That state coach (INAUDIBLE) bits of Nelson's victory, bits of Kensington Palace. It's all (INAUDIBLE) history in that coach.
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WILLIAMS (voice-over): It's an amazing day for historians. And historians will look back on this (INAUDIBLE) and say what it means about Charles' reign, what things will he (INAUDIBLE). It is a great day of history and such a significant moment.
FOSTER: Sovereign's Escort has been protecting the king when he travels along the roads since 1660, since the time of Charles II.
COOPER: And those are the those are the horsemen who are with the king.
FOSTER: They've had that role hundreds of years and it's a real honor. This is a cavalry. At the moment, this is the first glimpse super fans have had a chance to see the king.
COOPER: Matthew Chance is with us.
I think they're about to pass by you.
You can get a sense of what it's like to be in the crowd from the vantage point of someone a few rows back.
FOSTER: Let's talk about Camilla for a moment as well. There is a reason why these are called crowning moments. It comes from moments like this. For Camilla, this is a combination of a rehabilitation of a character who has been very controversial in the past.
Has worked incredibly well. (INAUDIBLE). She was always the nonnegotiable for King Charles. This is ultimately what he wanted, to marry her and for her to be known as queen and to be crowned alongside him. So this is a story --
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COOPER: There are many who thought that day would never come.
FOSTER: Personally I don't think that she has pushed for it but it is something he has pushed for very hard behind the scenes, which is so integral to his monarchy.
AMANPOUR: Also, let's not forget or fill in the gaps, it's a true love story that spans decades but it is one of great controversy. Princess Diana once famously talked about three people in her marriage.
Prince Harry in his autobiography has written about how, apparently, he and his brother tried to urge his father not to make this marriage. Apparently they do get on now. But it is one of controversy and we should actually talk about it because it has, again, over the decades since Princess Diana's death, been a slow, meticulous, methodical rehabilitation to the fact that she is here now.
I think also this is King Charles III. Let's also not forget that the British monarchy has had its interruptions, so to speak. King Charles I spent a lot of time in direct conflict with his parliament and eventually ended up in civil war. In 1649 he was beheaded. There was a long interregnum and then King Charles II came back in around 1660.
And that is how the monarchy fell and then was rehabilitated afterwards.
COOPER: Richard Quest is watching along with us as well.
Richard, none of us here have seen this before.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST: No, and for good reason, obviously. It's been 70 years. There is the diamond coach, making its way up the mall toward the abbey. It is flanked by the Sovereign's Escort and the soldiers of the army, the Household Cavalry, who are on the horses, the Life Guard and the Blues and Royals are the two senior divisions.
We are eagerly glancing into the carriage to see what Charles is wearing under the robes; military uniform, we've been told. But there will be numerous changes of clothing through the various different parts of the service.
Anderson, this is in some shape or form what we are seeing so far has been put together on previous occasions for royal marriages, (INAUDIBLE), the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
But what we will see afterwards, the long, great procession from the abbey, that to Buckingham Palace ahead of the balcony, that is something that we won't see.
And that is the real point in your question, that is where you're going to see such an enormous number of military. By the way, how the soldier in charge, the general in charge, keeps them all in tune has been the subject of much discussion during the week in Britain.
He has a particular rhythm and a particular way to make sure all of the bands over a mile long route all stay in tune in and on note.
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COOPER: What an extraordinary moment for King Charles, obviously, who, his entire life, has been waiting for this morning, in ways large and small.
AMANPOUR: Actually he has been very different than many other prominent and public figures because, while he is not allowed as king to be involved in politics, as basically the crown prince, the Prince of Wales in waiting for this moment, he was ahead of the curve on a lot of very important modern issues.
Obviously there is the climate, which he remains very dedicated to combating climate change. There is the whole idea of vegetarianism and how you eat and diet. Apparently the holy oil this year is going to be vegan, can I just say. It's going to be a vegan holy oil.
He's also been ahead of the curve on diversity. His Prince's Trust foundation for decades has spent money on mostly young Black British men, who are historically, obviously, underserved, ignored and discriminated. He has raised quite a lot of them to some opportunity with the Prince's Trust.
He has done a huge amount on social planning and others. Much of it was ridiculed but a lot of it now has proven to actually be where the people are.
The thing is, can he continue to do this as king?
Probably not a lot of them. But that would make him relevant.
FOSTER: Camilla's family arriving now. What's really interesting is the pages walking behind the procession of the king and queen. Will include all of her pages, all of her grandchildren, nephews and nieces, alongside Prince George, who will be the first young royal ever to be involved in a procession.
And also, interestingly, we have foreign royal families arriving as well, which is a modernization, because traditionally royal families have sent representatives, because this king would be the most junior in royal --
COOPER: Camilla's former husband is also there.
FOSTER: Yes, well, they are friends, they have a good relationship by all accounts. Here we have --
The peers are arriving. These are our aristocrats.
So aristocrats are still deeply involved in this event but they tried to modernize it by bringing other religions and women into the ceremony.
COOPER: How long does this procession that we are watching on screen, how long does that go on for?
FOSTER: This is the mall. (INAUDIBLE) Whitehall. We've got about 10 or so minutes left. In terms of what they're wearing, Richard talked about this, they're going to wear lots of different things as they go through the service to represent different parts of what they represent. He is wearing the robe of state, currently. This was worn by King
George VI at the coronation in 1937. It's been updated a bit for him. But Charles is making the point that he's recycling as much as possible to reflect how he wants to be sustainable but also how he is trying to cut the costs of this because a new robe of state would cost tens of thousands of pounds.
AMANPOUR: I think you just mentioned the aristocrats and it's a good point to remind everybody of the small controversy blowing around the realm over the last few days because, in the past, aristocrats, peers of the realm have knelt during the coronation and bid allegiance to the monarchs.
The last time this happened was to Queen Elizabeth II. Now in an attempt to democratize this, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is presiding over the coronation, invited everybody in their homes or on the street or wherever they are, to get up and pledge homage and pledge allegiance to the king.
This caused a huge uproar, what could that mean, what do you mean pledge allegiance. But I'm thinking, hang on a second, every two minutes they are doing that in the United States, in schools and everywhere, pledging allegiance to the flag. I think it was something that had a good intention but --
COOPER: So they've now changed the homage to, the public are invited to join in.
FOSTER: Pledge allegiance if you want or you could just say "God save the king" or say nothing. And that's a massive thing for the church to have done.
Camilla, by the way, wearing Queen Elizabeth's robe that she wore at her coronation, hasn't been worn since and a real tribute I think to Camilla.
COOPER: We are also going to start to see closer members of the royal family, Prince William as well as Prince Harry arriving shortly.
FOSTER: We don't know when Prince Harry is arriving. He is not part of, he does not have a role here, so I'm not sure we will see him going in. But William will arrive later with his family.
[05:35:00]
FOSTER: William will have his three children with him, I suspect he will. He wants them to see this unfold.
COOPER: What an extraordinary thing, William's son, who is second in line, will be taking part in this, 9 years old. He will be watching, knowing that one day this will be --
FOSTER: Charles was 4 when his mother got crowned. He says he doesn't remember parts of it. George will remember quite a lot and, of course, William will remember everything. It's a big moment for William because he is going to be next. They're coming to the Admiralty Arch as we speak. The route had to be
changed at one point because they resurfaced the road under Horse Guards arch because they couldn't get the carriages through.
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AMANPOUR: They are going down Whitehall, which is the seat of government and they will be going past Downing Street and enter Parliament Square from that side and then obviously that's where the abbey is.
COOPER: Trisha Goddard is watching this along with us.
Trisha, just an extraordinary morning, a light rain has been falling. but certainly the crowds remain.
TRISHA GODDARD, TV HOST: It is an amazing moment. There's a lot of history involved but there's also a lot of firsts, aren't there. Because King Charles is the first divorced king since Henry VIII. We are going to be seeing Camilla anointed with oil. There's a lot of firsts.
We talked about vegan oil, the flowers; Queen Elizabeth didn't have flowers at her coronation. There will be lots of flowers there. And they are all in season and they are all from very organic farms and what have you. So there's a lot of firsts.
They are really excited about the inclusion of so many people that historically they would not have been involved in anything like this. Members of the Commonwealth, people that I know, I'm very excited that they are there. So for me it's really exciting to see that inclusion.
COOPER: And Julia Chatterley, your thoughts this morning?
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR: I think this is the most spectacular representation of the country, of the Commonwealth. Look at these pictures. What we're going to see over the coming hours is bigger than anything that we saw for the platinum jubilee, for the queen's funeral.
This is truly the crowning moments as we've discussed. I can't wait to see many things, I can wait to see the first images of Prince William and Princess Kate, as you mention,. We'll see them making (INAUDIBLE) out of the stagecoach as well.
I also want to take a step back. Remember, for most people watching this, what we're going to hear over the coming hours as well is, sort of a combination of a Harry Potter movie versus "The Da Vinci Code," as we discussed, the Stone of Destiny.
A sort of spiritual justice. This great beauty, this great presence, I think. I think we have to remember, even if this is a change, this is very much adhering to the traditions of this country. We've never seen this before. No one has seen any of this before. Remember, because all we have of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation -- oh, there we go, yes. A moment of pause. And there is Harry. COOPER: Andrew.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: Walking with Princess Eugenie --
FOSTER: -- children. It's going to be interesting to see where he is seated. I suspect he's going to be given quite a prominent seat, because he is the son of the king. He won't have any role. These are the first members of the royal family now entering the church.
The next ones will be the more senior ones. The Waleses will be arriving soon as well. I think in five minutes they will be arriving. That's going to be a big moment.
For Harry, you know, this is what he used to do all the time. He only comes back occasionally. Meghan is at home, I'm sure watching us here, Anderson, because she, it is their son, Archie's, birthday today, so she wanted to stay home.
But this is a big moment for him and for the nation, because this family rift has gripped the nation. It has upset a lot of people. I think a lot of people look at Harry, thinking, thank you for coming and showing your support for our king.
AMANPOUR: About 350 million are expected to be watching this around the world. When you consider that, back in 1953, it was 27 million people here in the U.K. watching it.
COOPER: It is remarkable. The last time we saw Harry here was for his mother's funeral.
FOSTER: Absolutely. I think we have got here, Harry -- this is Princess Anne. She rode to the church, she's arriving behind the carriage.
[05:40:00]
FOSTER: We have Prince Edward here as well. He has an elevated role since Prince Harry has left his working role. He's been given a much higher position. So the people that you're seeing now, they're getting more senior as we go through it.
COOPER: And we saw Princess Anne playing such a large role during her mother's funeral.
AMANPOUR: She will be the person who's been given the royal honor of riding behind Prince Charles as he comes out of -- in the carriageway. So she will be leading that sort of guard of honor if you'd like.
And it's pretty good, you know, she's a woman, she's doing this. Obviously her mother was an incredibly accomplished equestrian. She's actually an Olympic level equestrian. She has become what the people here believe to be, A, the most popular of the royal family, practically and the most hardworking.
So she had a funny little aside when she was interviewed and all of the Brits want to know, you know, what about a slimmed down monarchy.
She said hold on, slimmed down means I have to do even more work.
FOSTER: Now the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh taking Prince Philip's titles. Prince Philip very much reflected in the service today. There'll be music from the Greek Orthodox Church. So he's being reflected today as is Queen Elizabeth.
one of When you said Prince Harry has no official role today, meaning he has no part in the actual -- in the actual coronation.
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FOSTER: -- he has a role, people carrying the crown jewels have a role.
AMANPOUR: There is prime minister Tony Blair. The other former prime minister, Gordon Brown, behind him.
FOSTER: This is from earlier on I think, these are the images (INAUDIBLE).
Young people very much reflected today, the first person that Charles will meet and be greeted by will be a child. That's very much on purpose. He tries to bring younger people into this crowning moment.
COOPER: Is it a member of the choir?
FOSTER: Yes.
A lot of people are very upset they're not invited. Lots of members of Parliament are not invited, lots of peers are not invited.
COOPER: Not invited just because it's a slimmed down ceremony?
FOSTER: He wants it to reflect British society. He doesn't want it to be an exclusive event just for the aristocracy, which is why he had this homage, trying to invite the public in to pay their respects, which has worked really well.
So the Cambridges are about to arrives or the Waleses, as they're known now. This is coming down the political section outside, down the street. This is the Cenotaph, which is the main memorial really for veterans in the United Kingdom.
AMANPOUR: This is where every year on -- in November, the anniversary of the war, the monarch and all the military, all of the political figures in government and in opposition come to pay their respects to the war dead, of all of the wars, that have been fought.
I think this is why this site is so important, that this once was a huge military power, that, yes, created the biggest empire known to humankind; as they say, the sun never set on the British empire. But things have changed a lot. And they've changed even more since Brexit.
Because Britain does not punch as high above its weight as it used to. This is such an important reminder of the history of this country and what it used to do.
FOSTER: The street line is there, the military along the road, all five paces apart exactly, all the way along the ridge.
COOPER: And you see, there's members of the British military, who are facing toward King Charles as he passes by. But British police officers, who are facing away, facing into the crowd, obviously for security reasons. Sally Bedell Smith is also with us.
Sally, what are your thoughts on seeing this incredible procession?
SALLY BEDELL SMITH, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, it is only Britain that can do this. I don't think anybody else in the world is capable of this. And you know, it is obviously a magnificent show of military prowess, the glamour of the coach.
But I mean it's much more stripped down than it was when the last king and queen were crowned in 1937, and the king and queen, George VI and Elizabeth, had to wait for two hours in Buckingham Palace for the entire procession to pass.
And that included limousines, as well as many carriages. And here we have one carriage and we have a large military presence. But it is a reflection of how things have changed in the last 86 years. And you know, obviously the king and queen are front and center.
[05:45:00]
SMITH: And they're being awarded all the honor of a considerable military presence. But it is not what it was in 1937 or even what it was in 1953, when the mall was covered with arches. It was very -- more, if you can believe it, it was a more extravagant looking exercise than it is today.
COOPER: As Max Foster was saying, there's some 200 members of the military in this procession. But on the way back, it's going to be about 4,000. They have been arriving by train, most of them, from all over, very early this morning, late last night.
FOSTER: They've been pressing in to airfields in the southwest of London, they've been rehearsing all night. This is a huge moment. You have to remember, the king has many different roles. He's head of the church, obviously that's reflected today. But he's also the head of the armed forces.
So they're all paying respect to the heads of their armed forces. You know, the person that they pledged their allegiance to. So this is very much a military moment and a church moment and a state moment as well. So they're about to arrive at the door here. We can see the Waleses have already arrived.
AMANPOUR: As Sally said, this is one of the most extravagant events in any country's life. Although there are lots of crowned heads of Europe and even King Abdullah of Jordan and the queen, no other nation does a coronation like this. They've just chosen not to. They don't do it; they probably couldn't put that show on. COOPER: Yes.
AMANPOUR: But I think that's really interesting.
COOPER: Bianca, at Westminster Abbey, I believe they're just coming into your view, yes?
NOBILO: They are. The band is in full swing, the cavalry is here. And I can see the carriage arriving right now. I'm just getting out my binoculars, Anderson, because even though we're really close, I think I can get an even better look at the king and the queen, who I now have in view.
Both looking calm, smiling, on the approach now to Westminster Abbey. We still have not seen the Prince and Princess of Wales, who need to arrive before the king and queen step into the abbey themselves.
We can now hear the clip-clopping of the hooves of the horses as they get even closer to us. I have a good view of King Charles as I'm speaking to you right now. He's looking out to the crowds and to the abbey itself. Anderson, back to you.
one of Again, this is the moment that King Charles has been waiting for his entire life. He's been thinking about it, planning for it and yet, it's -- one wonders, what he's going through in his mind.
AMANPOUR: What's going through his mind right now may be the fact that this is the official presentation to the people. That's part of this procession, it's about presenting the monarch to the people. That's why they're outlining the streets.
And Simon Schama, the historian, was talking about, in 1559, Queen Elizabeth I, she was borne to the coronation on an open faced gold litter, carried like that. And people were throwing flowers at her. And it started --
FOSTER: Let's talk about the fact that those horsemen have just reversed that carriage with four horses, incredible, to get exactly in line with the walkway there. We're going to see the full robes for the first time now in real life.
COOPER: These are robes that have been --
FOSTER: -- these were used by his grandfather and hers was used by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. So a huge moment here. The equerry that you're seeing, standing there is very much the first point of call for the king during this whole process.
AMANPOUR: Of course his grandfather was King George VI, the accidental king, because Edward VIII, who should have been, abdicated for the love of an American woman, a divorcee.
FOSTER: Very apt that it's raining, for a British event. Look at all the umbrellas.
COOPER: Exactly as it should be. FOSTER: So they're just talking through each moment, they can rehearse this endlessly.
Several rehearsals over the course of this week and also multiple at the palace. But they're having a bit of a discussion here. I am wondering where the Prince and Princess of Wales are because they're due to arrive before the king and queen. But maybe they took a different entrance.
They're having a discussion here and the equerry is clearly wanting to know the king's view on something. We would've expected him to step straight outside. They're just waiting for everything to be lined up inside.
COOPER: There we see Prince Harry.
FOSTER: Prince Harry, another member of the royal family. We see Prince Edward is now in front of Prince Harry, a more former senior position as a working royal.
[05:50:00]
COOPER: But he is seated with the family and the other close royals.
FOSTER: Yes. And there was discussion that he'd be put in the back. But he's a key member of the family. So he hasn't left the family; he's just left his role.
Anyone's guess as to why they're staying in the carriage at this point. There's clearly something that they're waiting for to happen inside.
COOPER: We also, as we said, we have not seen Prince William or Kate arrive.
FOSTER: They were due to arrive last five minutes ago. This carriage actually arrived slightly early. It was due to arrive right now. So I'm wondering if they're just waiting for the clock to tick to the moment when they were due to get out.
Maybe they're positioning the Waleses (INAUDIBLE).
COOPER: It's the bells of Westminster Abbey.
FOSTER: I'm actually being told that the carriage is due to arrive at 10:53.
COOPER: Two minutes early.
FOSTER: So they may well be sitting in the carriage for another three minutes while our cameras home in on them.
AMANPOUR: Nearby Big Ben, as you see, has been illuminated with flowers from all four constituent parts of the United Kingdom for the last several days. The actual invitation, the paper invitation and thee online
invitation, it was also surrounded and decorated with wild flower that not just represent different parts of the U.K. and the Commonwealth but also reflect Prince Charles, now King Charles, his love of gardening and the whole, the whole sort of natural world that he has raised.
So prominently as a key point of interest and importance for the monarchy and for the country and for the world.
FOSTER: The bells are also ringing four minutes early, they are due to start ringing at 10:54.
AMANPOUR: These are the guns that will fire off the salute.
FOSTER: Yes.
COOPER: And we're seeing Prince George, Prince Louis.
FOSTER: That's Prince Louis, indeed it is. So they have just arrived, they were due to arrive obviously before the king and queen. So there's been the procession, you know this process, the schedule is not matched up to what it was meant to be. But only by a few minutes.
Obviously the pages, George, need to be there as well as the king's ready to step off, so they can join that procession. I will say this procession that we're about to see, going into the abbey, will say so much about today.
He will have peers there but also members of other religions. You have Prince George walking behind. And we do have to know that the king's champion, who is a former accountant, who traces his lineage back to 1066. And the king's champion was the person that would have to ride into the back.
COOPER: They're were seeing Queen Camilla getting out of the carriage for the first time, getting a look at the road. She is wearing, the robes of --
(CROSSTALK)
FOSTER: Queen Elizabeth's robes that she wore at her coronation. They're desperately trying to keep it out of the water obviously. And the pages there, these are her grandchildren behind her and one of her nephews. So big moment for them. And then the king will have a separate set of pages, which will include Prince George.
And when they leave, they'll be crowned obviously; on the way in, they don't have crowns. So this is a quite spectacular moment and something that we haven't seen for 70 years.
The queen's pages are there, holding the robe as you see them walking in there. They'll wear a different set of robes on the way out. These are robes of state. They wear the roads of estate on the way out. The king is waiting inside. He will be the last person obviously to enter the church, the most senior. COOPER: And there's the king getting out of the carriage now.
A very unrelatable day and yet you can sort of relate to somebody trying to arrive at the party and not get their outfit wet.
AMANPOUR: That and a little bit of time issues, which we would've known about had 100 cameras been there.
FOSTER: Prince George there on the left, a huge moment for him, because, after his father, he will be having this moment. He has to soak this up and learn as much as he can from it.
AMANPOUR: You know, a throwback, as we said, 1,000 years, the first to be crowned in Westminster Abbey was Norman the Conqueror back in 1066. It is actually extraordinary to even think about that. But I think we also need to talk about the state of approval of royalty and the monarchy here. It is most definitely a majority.
[05:55:00]
AMANPOUR: There is the Princess of Wales.
FOSTER: Princess Charlotte and Louis. So we can confirm, Louis is there. We can also confirm that once Louis has entered the church, he's going to retire. We think that means go off with his nanny. But he's been included as part of this. And always a question about whether or not we should give children this very high-profile role.
AMANPOUR: As you said, Charles, as prince, was some 4 years old when his mother was crowned. The pictures on the front of the newspaper, some of them today, show him entering in a little, almost like a little Fauntleroy suit, holding the hand of his nanny.
COOPER: There's William and Kate.
FOSTER: He will be pledging allegiance at a key moment in the service as well to the King. So a big moment for both of them.
COOPER: We haven't seen -- we haven't seen George. But he may be somewhere else.
FOSTER: -- holding the robe behind the king.
One of the princesses is wearing a tiara, there was some debate on that.
AMANPOUR: Inside it becomes a religious ceremony. All of this outside is the pomp in the circumstance. But it becomes a religious ceremony --
COOPER: George's there in the back left.
AMANPOUR: -- despite the including --
FOSTER: The crown jewels. AMANPOUR: Yes. That is the state crown that he will wear going out,
the imperial state crown. He's going to wear two crowns on this day. The first one, as you said, the St. Edward -- the King Edward crown, 350 years old, solid gold, almost five pounds, very heavy.
And that will stay in Westminster Abbey. And going out he will wear this crown.
FOSTER: A huge honor being given the chance to carry a piece of the crown jewels ahead of the king. This goes back to a time when it wasn't automatic, becoming king. You had to assert your kingliness. And receiving the crown jewels was a representation of that.
And sitting in the coronation chair, which has been used for centuries, is also a message to the world. So we are part of that really. We're sending out this message to the world, that Charles is king.
FOSTER: And the king's champion, go back to Anderson, because he, his role is to challenge anyone that challenges the king's authority. And he can trace that role, his lineage, back to 1066. He had to go to a court to prove himself as the natural heir. And he throws down a gauntlet.
COOPER: There is the other crown.
AMANPOUR: Do you think we ought to go back to the percentage of people who approve here?
It's about 58 percent, people should know that. It does become much, much less, in terms of the demographics.
FOSTER: (INAUDIBLE) Benjamin, she was included because of her diversity. She's often included at these moments. She's very close to the king. And you really want to reflect people that he knew, who reflect British society.
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COOPER: That is George off to the left, you see on the left side of your screen.
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COOPER: It is a historic day here in London. The coronation service for King Charles III and Queen Camilla is beginning.
